The present disclosure relates to systems, components and methodologies for vehicle assistance apparatuses. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the driver alert functionality of vehicle assistance systems, components and methodologies.
Navigation systems help a driver reach an unfamiliar destination. In-vehicle navigation systems generally include a display in the center of the dashboard that shows the location of the vehicle (referred to as the “carsor”) on a map of the environment. Many vehicles also include driver assistance systems such as blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, collision alerts and other driver alert systems. The alerts from these driver assistance systems are typically communicated via light emitting diodes or human-machine interfaces at various locations on the vehicle.
While a driver is using a navigation system, it is likely the driver will be diverting attention to the navigation system display for significant periods of time. Due to this increased cognitive load, the driver may be less likely to notice the warnings or alerts from the vehicle's driver assistance systems, such as blind spot warning, collision warning, or adaptive cruise control (ACC) proximity warning. The present disclosure relates to driver alert systems that may be employed during in-vehicle navigation system use, for example, to supplement alerts generated by existing driver assistance systems or other alert-generating equipment.